Increases in prices, poor availability, refractory manufacturers constantly looking to substitute lower-cost raw materials in their formulations, and above all, supply concerns. These have contributed to the raw material issue that has become a brain teaser for most refractories producers.
Among the most problematic, bauxite, magnesia, graphite and zircon are unanimously identified without hesitation.
The key common denominator in the supply-demand dynamic is China, historically a significant source of many leading refractory minerals such as bauxite, fused alumina, silicon carbide, graphite, flint clay, and magnesia.
China’s influence
“Today every raw material is not so easy to get, the most problematic one is graphite, due to the increase of use of flake graphite in the battery industry, which is a booming market. The main graphite producers are located in China and they are facing several environmental problems,” Giorgio Cappelli, chief operating officer division steel and member of the management...